Corporations Link With Minority Businesses @ Atlanta Conference.

Corporate executives representing some of the world’s largest purchasing organizations and thousands of the best
minority businesses in America will seek — and hopefully find — opportunities to do business at the NMSDC Conference in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center from October 28-31. The Conference theme is “Minority Suppliers and Corporate America: Meeting the Challenges of the New Economy.”

This year, America’s biggest corporations will spend more than $50 billion to buy goods and services from minority business enterprises (MBEs). Minorities represent 28% of the population in the U.S. but minority-owned businesses represent only 15% of total businesses and 4% of total corporate purchases. However, minority businesses are one of the fastest growing business segments and will play an increasingly important role in job creation and economic growth.

“Corporations are encouraging and supporting a host of growth tools (alliances, joint ventures, other partnership forms and mergers) to assure that minority suppliers can compete for larger contracts. Leaders in a variety of industries see supply chain management initiatives as crucial,” says Harriet R. Michel, NMSDC president. With estimates that B2B e-commerce sales will reach $2.7 trillion by 2004, corporate executives are eager to integrate e-commerce solutions into overall operations. “Corporations and suppliers understand the need to leverage the ripple effect of e-business and the connected procurement world,” Ms. Michel adds.

Co-chairing the event are Gregory T. Baranco, president of Baranco Pontiac GMC and James P. Kelly, chairman and CEO of United Parcel Service, Inc. The 571-booth Business Opportunity Fair that takes place on Monday, October 29th, is once again a sell-out. An equal mix of corporations and MBE exhibitors, anxiously await the opportunity to meet the 5,000 walk-through participants expected to do business in the largest national procurement event of its kind.

The participation of thousands of certified Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American businesses in NMSDC activities makes it one of the most inclusive organizations of its kind.

All program sessions, including the Business Opportunity Fair, will be held in the Georgia World Congress Center. The Plenary sessions and featured speakers at breakfasts and luncheons are a key part of each full day of activities.

For more information at http://www.nmsdcus.org.